Broken Trust
by Katameran
Summary: What if Sirius Black hadn't seen the newspaper clipping of Ron with Pettigrew? Would he still have escaped when he did? This is a story about an alternate escape, at a different time...yes, the rating has been upped for swearing in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Have you ever sat back and really thought about the amazing chain of coincidences that caused Sirius to escape from Azkaban? If Scabbers hadn't been with Ron that day…if he hadn't been visible in the picture…if it hadn't been that day's paper…if Fudge hadn't been carrying the paper…well, there are more. But you get the idea. What if Sirius hadn't seen the picture with Pettigrew in it, and, as a result, had not escaped during Harry's third year at Hogwarts? This fic is simply another way, a different way, which Sirius could have escaped. I own nothing; it all belongs to the Goddess herself, JK Rowling. And the Lyrics at the start of the story belong to whoever wrote them for Nickelback.  
  
1  
  
2 Broken Trust – chapter 1  
  
  
  
Where the good times gone?  
  
Where the good times gone?  
  
All the stupid fun  
  
And all that shit we've done  
  
Where the good times gone?  
  
Well I still don't know  
  
~Nickelback  
  
  
  
Sirius Black sat on the floor of his prison cell, leaning against the stone wall. Boredom and uneasiness were the bane of his existence recently. Boredom because he was in prison. When one was in a prison like Azkaban for their 15th year running, one was out of activities. Uneasiness because of the events that had started only a few weeks before.  
  
Sirius had been sleeping at the time. He tended to get a lot of sleep, something to take him out of the state of boredom. Not that it helped. Even sleeping was boring. At least it was unconsciousness. Yells didn't usually wake him up, for he was fairly used to them. Yelling when a new prisoner was brought in, when a seasoned prisoner got extremely bored, when an ancient prisoner finally snapped. These sounds weren't yells. It was more like a rustle of knowledge and excitement that ran around the cells in this corridor like head lice during their worst season. The atmosphere was what had woken him – the pure mood of the place. When he sat up, he had noticed the person in the cell directly across from him staring. Just staring.  
  
The prisoner was fairly new, by Azkaban standards. He was only on his second or third year running. He hadn't paid much attention to Sirius before then.  
  
"Don't you feel it?" He had asked finally.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Sirius asked, irritated.  
  
"The burning. We will be free again!"  
  
"What?" Sirius asked again, confused this time.  
  
"Aren't you one of us?"  
  
"One of who?"  
  
The man had sat back then, his eyes alarmed. He hadn't volunteered any more information and Sirius had quickly grown tired of pressing for more information.  
  
The next event had taken place earlier that day. Sirius now had two human guards and a dementor outside of his cell, rather then two dementors and a few guards to patrol the corridor. There were at least three times as many human guards around as usual. Sirius sat back and thought about Azkaban. It wasn't something he enjoyed thinking about. Usually he tried to direct his thoughts in another direction, memories, fantasies, whichever amused him more on that particular day. Now he thought about who he was 'rooming' with. He knew that he was in a maximum-security area. The Lestranges were in this area, but they had cracked only a few years after Sirius was brought in. He realized that many of the people in this part of the prison were death eaters. Then he mentally smacked himself on the head – he was considered a death eater.  
  
Sirius Black, a death eater. It would have made him laugh if it didn't make him so sad. Remus obviously believed it. Not once in the entire 15 years had he made an attempt to contact Sirius. Surely if Lupin just thought about it…Sirius would have died before betraying Lily and James. And little Harry. Harry would be going into his fifth year in Hogwarts now, if he had counted the years correctly. Did he like Quidditch? Was he still living with the Dursleys? Was he friends with descendants of any of Sirius's classmates? Did he even know about Sirius?  
  
The last thought made him wince. He hoped that Harry knew nothing about him. He didn't want to be known as a murdering traitor.  
  
So what was the cause behind all of the guards in the hallway? What were they worried about? Sirius thought again about the possibility that had been pulling at the back of his mind. No. That wasn't possible. How would Voldemort rise again? There was no way. It was probably just some disturbance that he had slept through. At any rate, he had no way of finding out. No one spoke to the prisoners, unless it was absolutely necessary, and it was rare for anything important to be said or done in front of them. Sirius shook his head and went back to sleep.  
  
Sleep. Boredom. Slight uneasiness. Boredom. Sleep. Head lice. Sleep. Oh, food, how nice of them. Rain. Sleep. More lice. More boredom. Uneasiness again. A rat. Could it be trained, by any chance? Two hours later, Sirius exhausted the possibility of training a rat to do anything and went back to sleep. The next two months of his life followed the general pattern described above. Then things became more mysterious. Lucius Malfoy came for a visit.  
  
Sirius happened to be in the boredom part of the pattern when Lucius entered the prison. He knew him at once, although he had not seen him in over 15 years. Something about the man was dark, and Sirius knew immediately that he was not a man fighting for the light side, as he claimed. Lucius had come to Azkaban with a ministry official, and was verifying the identity of the death eaters he saw, or at least that's what Sirius guessed he was doing from what he could hear and see.  
  
"Ah, Sirius Black. Such a faithful little spy. Not so great though, not as you pretended all those years in school…you got caught."  
  
Sirius's dislike came rushing out. "Ah, Lucius. Such a nasty little liar. You are a wonderful liar though, because you managed to convince the ministry that you'd been brainwashed and you wanted to be on the side of Dumbledore again."  
  
Lucius's face turned cold. "You will not speak of things you do not know."  
  
Sirius merely leaned back into the shadows. Lucius was not here merely to help the ministry, that much he could tell. The question was what was he up to?  
  
He wasn't to find out that afternoon. Lucius made his way through the area of the prison and left. A feeling that something was definitely wrong overtook Sirius again. This time, though, he lay awake most of the night, trying to put his finger on it. Could it be possible that Voldemort had risen again?  
  
  
  
A/N: Yes, I realize that this is a short first chapter. And yes, there will be a few more chapters. I'm not quite done with the entire thing yet, so I'm not sure. I'll probably divide it up so that chapters are longer, but we'll see. If you read this and don't feel like reviewing, please remember that reviews improve the self-esteem and confidence of the writer. And they make the hit averages go up :o) So please, please, please R/R…how would you feel if people dismissed your hard work every time? Thanks.  
  
~Katameran 


	2. Chapter 2

1 Broken Trust – Chapter 2  
  
  
  
The days went by. Sirius guessed that they were now entering October. He wondered what classes Harry was taking now, during his fifth year of schooling. He was standing, leaning on the wall – this actually felt good to muscles sore from the stone floor – immersed in a daydream. More like a memory. He was remembering Halloween, during his second year in school. They had just finished preparing their newest prank, planning to try it out on the current Potions teacher. They were looking forward to the feast that evening, not eating anything at lunch so that they would have room – " his daydream was interrupted by a loud bang. The doors to the section burst open at either end. Shouting voices and light flooded the corridor.  
  
The guards were reaching for their wands, some too late. Sirius pressed back against the corner of his cell, hoping that he wouldn't be hit by any curse spells. He felt his stomach sink as he realized the intruders were masked. Death Eaters. Here to free their fellow death eaters. Cell doors were being knocked down left and right. Someone sent a blow to his door; it was half off of the hinges –  
  
"You there, don't you even have the sense to move?" Someone snarled at him. "Are you one of the insane ones?"  
  
Sirius found his voice. "I'm not insane."  
  
"Who are you?" The person asked, looking closer. He recoiled suddenly in horror. "You're Sirius Black. You're not a death eater, are you." He stated the last bit.  
  
"What-who-how-" Sirius felt his head begin to spin. He needed to think fast.  
  
"Hey!" Another death eater addressed the first one sharply. "We don't have time for conversation!"  
  
"But this one is Sirius Black!" The first one argued.  
  
"Well move on, I'll take care of it." The voice did not leave room for argument, and the death eater moved away hurriedly.  
  
"You. Out. Now."  
  
Sirius remained where he was. A wand was now pointed at him. "Move or I use an unforgivable. I'll decide which one in a minute."  
  
Sirius decided that he should postpone his death for every second possible, and so he moved forward.  
  
"Down the corridor. Walk quickly." Sirius tried to walk quickly, using muscles that weren't used to being used, stepping over bodies and rubble.  
  
"Up those stairs. FASTER!" The voice barked. Sirius hurried, grabbing at rotting handrails for balance.  
  
They reached the top. More cells, mostly empty. Offices. A door to the outside.  
  
"Here I leave you." The death eater said. "Get away if you can. If I were you, I would commit suicide if I couldn't find a way out of this place."  
  
"But what-"  
  
The death eater turned and re-entered the building. Sirius stared after the retreating figure, thoroughly confused and shaken. Then it occurred to him that he needed to think fast. Fast thinking, twice in one day. It was too much.  
  
A resource occurred to him suddenly. Could he? After all this time? He concentrated. Suddenly he was a large, black dog. No time for elation that he still had the ability. He, in the dog body, plunged off of the rocks into the icy water and began swimming. It was the swim of his life, making a break for mainland. He was lucky that his dog form was so big, and did not seem to be as weak as his human form. Even though he had more strength, he steadily grew tired. The swim was long, and the pressure to move fast taxing. Sirius pressed onward only because he knew he had no other option.  
  
The death eaters had made their attack during the night. The sky gradually lightened, then turned to gray, then turned pink. And Sirius could see land. He was close to giving out, energy field nearly drained. Seeing the land gave him a new burst of momentum.  
  
He staggered out of the water, drenched, freezing, and exhausted at a little after dawn. Mustering up the last of his energy, he sought shelter from the nearest cluster of bushes. He awoke briefly, in the middle of the day, but promptly went back to sleep. It was shortly after nightfall when he rose and started his journey. Unfortunately, he had to stop only a few steps after starting to ask himself where he was going. He was then surprised to find that knew exactly where he was going.  
  
The death eaters seemed to want him dead for not being a death eater. The wizards would want him dead for being a death eater. The muggles would want him dead because they were muggles and tended to panic in large groups at any small thing. Professor Dumbledore was his only hope.  
  
He started moving again, thinking about food. It had been a while since he had eaten anything, and he would need to keep his strength up in order to make it all the way to Hogwarts.  
  
His dinner that evening came in the form of leftovers found spilling out of a trashcan lying on its side. He didn't mind though, there were worse things to be eating. At least what his stomach now held was generally classified as food. His larger problem was figuring out the way to Hogwarts. Once again, he was surprised to find that he knew the answer. It wasn't in his mind, exactly, but in his instincts. No, wait. Not his instincts. The canine instincts of the animal that he was for the moment. Sirius vaguely remembered stories about dogs that found their way home from hundreds of miles away…maybe his dog self remembered Hogwarts and knew the way without him having to think. He'd just have to trust that it did.  
  
Over the next few weeks as he traveled, hunted, and slept, Sirius had time to think. It was a different kind of thinking then he had done in Azkaban, however. For one thing it was far less pessimistic and morbid. For another, he was thinking of the future. He might have one now, providing that Professor Dumbledore didn't hand him back over to the proper officials once he lay eyes on him. Sirius doubted that Albus would do that though, not without at least hearing his side of the story. Another problem came in there. How did he know that they would be willing to listen to him? He supposed that if push came to shove he could demand a truth potion at the top of his voice until they realized that he was intent on not returning to hell.  
  
And Remus. He would need to find his old friend and explain everything in person. Sirius wondered if Remus could find a way to forgive him for everything. For being the cause of the death of James and Lily. For thinking that one of his best friends was the spy. He wondered what Remus had done with himself all these years. Two friends dead. One in prison for killing them. Sirius mentally cursed Pettigrew for the millionth time for causing so much trouble. If only the little bastard hadn't been working for Voldemort…  
  
The brush was getting thicker. Sirius found himself jumping trees, taking long routes around tangled masses of vines, and burrowing on his stomach beneath clumps of bushes. He must be getting closer to Hogwarts, at least.  
  
He didn't come to the forest until the next evening. At the sight of it he stopped and stood, frozen. That couldn't be the forbidden forest…but it was. Hogwarts would be on the other side of the monstrosity, providing he didn't get turned around once he was inside. Did he want to go inside, though? He forced himself to think rationally. Most creatures in the forest wouldn't hurt a dog. As long as he stayed in dog form, he would be all right. Probably. Sirius laughed at himself. An escaped convict who had narrowly missed death by Lord Voldemort's groupies was afraid to enter a dark forest. He started into the forest.  
  
  
  
A/N: I go on spring break next week, and so there will be no new posts of this story until sometime after the first week of April. If you like this so far (or if you are just a fan of Sirius fics) please check out 'The Shadows of Insanity', my songfic about Sirius. Don't forget to review! Oh, sorry about the weird formatting and numbers in the first fic…I didn't put those there, ffn did that alllll by itself.  
  
2 ~Katameran :o)  
  
That brings me to my thanks to everyone…thank you to Kaylin, who beta reads EVERYTHING I write and tells me NOT to delete it, and then tells me why.  
  
Also thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far!  
  
Nicky – I went to check out what you had written, but there was nothing there! What do you mean you don't have talent for writing? In my opinion, if you can talk, you can write…start off small with a funny list in the list section (under misc.) here at ffn. You'll be surprised how the reviews you get (or don't get, as in my case) motivate you! Anyway, you'll be sure to get at least one because I'll review for sure! :o)  
  
Heath and sar - *bluses* I love that phrase: 'you rock'. Seriously, thanks. That boosted my confidence a lot about this story and was one of the reasons I posted again today!  
  
Brittanie – I was trying a different style of writing when it came to this story. I'm glad to see someone other then myself enjoys it! I'm off to send that email…and yes, you did spell azkaban right!  
  
Cassie – Sweet, my very first reviewer! You are awesome! Glad to hear that you like the story, hope chapter two is to your liking… 


	3. Chapter 3

Broken Trust – chapter 3  
  
  
  
His human mind jumped at every noise, wanted to cower beneath a pile leaves at every strange shadow, and wished to run as fast as possible through the forest. His dog instincts found the location slightly familiar from the days of the marauders, exciting and enjoyable. His human mind was not impressed with the dog instincts.  
  
He knew that he had to go slowly, or risk running into some obstacle. Getting out of the forest a few hours early was not worth the grisly death it might cost him. He walked on and on, wondering if the forest ever ended, worrying that he might not be going the right direction. His dog instincts told his human mind to shut the hell up; they were definitely going in the right direction.  
  
Sirius moved steadily onwards without pausing to sleep or attempt to find food. He didn't think he could sleep anyway, no matter how tired he got. A sudden crashing in the brush in front of him caused him to stand frozen. The crashing calmed to a rustling, and then was silent. He crept forward, then around the spot, altering his path of travel slightly. He wondered how much of his journey was left now. The canine instincts had no answer.  
  
As though part of a story, he reached the edge of the forest at dawn; the towers of the castle silhouetted magnificently against the rosy sky. He remained frozen in spot for several moments, taking in the scene in all of its beauty. Finally, when the sky settled on a pale blue, he crept back into the forest for sleep.  
  
The sky was changing again when Sirius woke up. It was dusk. He got to his feet…then realized he had no idea of what he was about to do. He couldn't exactly walk into the castle. Well, he could. But the results probably wouldn't wonderful. Then again, if he managed to make someone come out to the forest, that probably wouldn't be great either. Not that he could get anyone to come out to the forest anyway. He lay back down to consider his situation. Darkness fell and still he did not move.  
  
Stars appeared. The sliver of moon hung in the sky. Sirius wished his brain was working. He still did not know what he was going to do. At some point he fell back asleep, only to be woken by a foot nearly tramping on his ear. The dog side of him reacted first: he yelped and leaped to his feet. The person attached to the foot screamed and jumped backwards.  
  
"Hermione, what is it?" A voice yelled. People were crashing through the underbrush.  
  
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scream-" The girl was panting. Beams of light made their way through the scrub. Sirius shrank back, not wanting to move but not wanting to stay put.  
  
"What was it?" The voice asked. The voice was slightly familiar, but Sirius didn't focus on it.  
  
"I stepped on something and there was a noise and it jumped and it startled me, I'm sorry, really, we should go-"  
  
"Did you see what it was?" A different voice.  
  
"Did it run away?" A fourth voice.  
  
"I don't know-"  
  
  
  
Sirius slowly moved backwards, away from them. His foot hit a dry twig and it snapped, causing the human part of him to jump. A lantern was suddenly being held over his head.  
  
"Oh, it's just a dog." There was relief in the voice.  
  
"A dog? Here? Let me see." The authoritative voice came closer, and so did the lantern. There was a sharp intake of breath.  
  
"What is it, Remus?" Someone asked.  
  
"Don't move." Remus Lupin spoke directly to Sirius. His wand was suddenly out of his pocket and pointed directly at him.  
  
"What-"  
  
"I don't have time to explain now." Remus nearly snapped. "Sirius, I want you to come out of the brush. Now."  
  
Sirius walked calmly out into the slightly cleared patch where everyone was standing.  
  
"What is that if it isn't a dog?" Harry asked.  
  
"It's an animagus, Harry." Lupin answered tensely.  
  
"An-wait, did you say Sirius? Sirius BLACK?" Harry yelled.  
  
"Yes. Harry, go to the castle. Take Ron. Tell Dumbledore what's going on and tell him that we'll be up shortly. Hermione, I'm going to need help here."  
  
"Right." The girl nodded, lips pressed firmly together.  
  
"I'm going to tell you about a few spells that you won't have time to practice because we need them right now. I hold trust in your advanced magic." Remus was cut off from saying any more as Sirius transformed back into a human and held his hands up.  
  
Hermione gasped, and Remus seemed startled. They obviously hadn't been expecting the transfer. Sirius opened his mouth to speak, but Remus spoke first, uttering a spell that Sirius couldn't place. Then the forest floor rushed to meet the back of his head as he fell, motionless, like a piece of granite, to the ground. It was then that he remembered the spell – a full body-bind. He heard Remus and Hermione move away from him, and he hoped that they weren't just leaving him here in the forest. He didn't want to stay.  
  
"All right, it looks as though this is going to be easier then I had thought, but I'd still prefer it if we were both prepared…" Remus was telling the girl about some spell in case Sirius broke through the body- bind.  
  
If Sirius had been able to move, he would have smiled grimly. He had no desire to break free, seeing as how only hours before he had been wracking his brains for a way into the castle. Now he had one, even if it was as a prisoner.  
  
"I'm simply going to levitate him. There shouldn't be anyone out in the corridors, considering that it's two o'clock in the morning."  
  
"What if there is somebody?" The girl asked nervously.  
  
"Then we figure out a way around them." Lupin answered with grim determination. "Let's go."  
  
Sirius felt his stiff form rise from the ground, and begin to move slowly. He really wished that he could move on his own accord. He was fairly sure that he could trust Lupin not to snap and kill him right then and there, but he would have liked to have more control.  
  
They moved quickly across the grounds. Sirius was looking directly at the sky, but he could see the castle, growing steadily larger in his peripheral vision. It wasn't long before Remus and Hermione were climbing the steps to the large front doors. Remus motioned Hermione to go in ahead of him.  
  
"Now what are you going to do?" Remus asked.  
  
"I'm going to check around corners and such before you go around them, in case anyone is wandering in the halls."  
  
"And if you see someone?"  
  
"Warn you quietly and then move back myself, unless they see me, in which case I lie convincingly to get us all out of a mess."  
  
"Very good."  
  
Although Sirius mostly set eyes upon the ceilings of Hogwarts that night, memories were slamming into him so hard he was dizzy with them. How many times had he and the other marauders moved down these hallways in the early hours of the mornings?  
  
Their strange little group moved up staircases and down corridors without problems. Sirius was just beginning to believe that they would reach Dumbledore's office without interference when they stopped suddenly. From what he could see, Hermione was flapping a frantic hand in Lupin's direction, and moving silently back from the corner she had just gone around.  
  
"Hermione? Hermione Granger? No, Miss Granger, I see you there, come back here please. I'm sure you have a brilliant explanation as to why you are roaming the halls of Hogwarts, fully dressed, at a quarter past two in the morning."  
  
"Er, well, Professor McGonagall, it really is quite simple. Do you remember when Professor Dumbledore was talking about the centaurs and saying that he wanted to meet with them?"  
  
"Yes, Miss Granger, but I don't believe you were present at that meeting."  
  
"Er, no, but that's a different story entirely. Um, anyway, he spoke with me, Harry, and Ron this morning, as well as Professor Lupin, and we volunteered to speak with them because we've been in the forest before and the centaurs sort of know us and everything…"  
  
"They what?"  
  
"Um, anyway," Hermione continued hurriedly, "that's why I'm up and that's why I'm fully dressed. We went to see the centaurs, but we couldn't find them, so we're coming back."  
  
"Well, I suppose that does make sense…except for one thing."  
  
"Oh?" Hermione asked faintly.  
  
"Where are Misters Weasley and Potter? And where is Remus Lupin? Didn't you say they were with you?"  
  
"Well, yes, but…"  
  
"Good evening professor McGonagall. I suppose you're going to find out at some point anyway." Lupin said, stepping around the corner.  
  
"Those words…fill me with such…fear." Professor McGonagall said hesitantly. "Seeing as how they are most often heard by Fred and George Weasley, and they used to be used by you and your friends when you attended school here."  
  
"And speaking of my friends…" Remus stressed the last word in such a way that Sirius, had he been able to move, would have winced.  
  
"Good Heavens! Is that…what…Sirius Black?"  
  
"We found him in the woods, on our way out to meet with the centaurs. He was in dog form."  
  
"Dog form?"  
  
"It can all be explained later, I assure you. But right now, we really should be getting him to Professor Dumbledore's office, before we have to explain ourselves to someone else."  
  
"You're right."  
  
They moved swiftly down the corridor to the stone gargoyle, and then onto Professor Dumbledore's spiraling staircase.  
  
  
  
A/N: I'm very sorry about the long wait. Writer's block, coupled with this need to sleep all extra hours of the day didn't leave me with great writing abilities…I sincerely hope that the next chapter will be up shortly. Most of this chapter was deleted about half an hour ago when my computer freaked out, so I really wrote this twice…I need some credit for that, right? Once again, thank you to everyone who is reviewing, especially those of you who are coming back to read new chapters.  
  
Purty freak – thank you so much for your compliments, both on this story and on golden monkey. (Yes, I do write that one.) Keep reading!  
  
Brittanie – I'm glad you liked this chapter as well, and yes, I'll send a reminder again. Thanks for reviewing!  
  
Kit Cloudkicker – Love the name! Where on earth did you get it? I'm glad you think my story is interesting, I'll try to keep it that way…  
  
Heath and sar – well, it's not lots more, but it is another one, hope you enjoyed it! :o)  
  
Rykatu*L – I solemnly swear that I will do everything in my power not to leave the story hanging. It bugs me when other authors do that, so I really do try hard to keep writing…unfortunately, I have a few unanswered questions about my own story, but if I told you what they were I'd have to kill you…  
  
Nicky – well, it appears that my list idea is out…*growls at ffn* they make me so mad. Think about it anyway, there are other easy/fun things to write. So you want to see Sirius meeting Dumbledore, hmm? Looks like you'll have to wait for the next chapter!  
  
Tarcollowen – The way I see things, Sirius escaping didn't have an great deal to do with the rise of Voldemort. I figure that Peter, being the wuss that he is, could have been easily scared off by something else…if I get an inspiration, I could throw something in that twists up my plot and explains it all a lot more thoroughly, but don't count on it…inspiration is something I seem to be lacking these days. Maybe if we had a 5th book…*glares at Nancy Stouffer* Oh well, thanks for the review!  
  
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	4. Chapter 4

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Broken Trust – Chapter 4

Sirius was thoroughly sick of being frozen and would have said so had he been able to move his mouth at all. 

"Yes, they should be here at any-" 

"Here we are, sir." Remus said, stepping through the door. 

"It appears that the information Mr. Weasley and Mr. Potter have given me is correct."

"Yes, professor." 

"Well, unfreeze him, let him speak for himself."

There was a slight hesitation before Sirius fell to the couch with a muffled crash. He found that he could move, and slowly sat up.

"Where's your wand?" Lupin asked sharply, his own pointed directly at Sirius's face.

"I don't have one." Sirius said truthfully, holding up his hands.

Remus snorted in disbelief. "Yeah, right. They sprung you from Azkaban only to send you to Hogwarts unarmed?"

Sirius felt his temper flare at the accusation, and he worked to remind himself that they had no reason to trust him. He took a few deep breaths, then spoke again.

"When you found me in the woods, I was in dog form. Dogs don't exactly have pockets."

Remus raised one eyebrow, then nodded. "So what was your plan then?"

"I didn't have one." Sirius realized that the statement sounded incriminating, but Remus spoke before he could add to it.

"All right then, what were your instructions?"

"What?"

"What were you told to do? What was your goal? Why were you in the woods?"

"I wasn't given instructions-Remus, there is a lot of explaining that I need to do and I'm not asking you believe any of it, but I'm _not_ working for Voldemort, I didn't sell Lily and James out to him, and I didn't kill Peter."

His old friend's eyes had widened slightly. "Excuse me?"

"I know it sounds like a load of crap, but I _can_ explain…"

"Then by all means, Mr. Black, we're waiting to hear your story." Albus Dumbledore spoke directly to Sirius for the first time in years. 

Sirius closed his eyes briefly, trying to get his thoughts in order. The silence in the room was heavy; no one dared to even breathe loudly. The three students were squashed on a small couch. Remus remained standing, Dumbledore sat behind his desk, hands folded patiently. 

"All right," he said finally, "it all started when Voldemort was very powerful. James had appointed me secret keeper, as I believe you all know. However, as the days went by, I began to think that Lord Voldemort would go for me straight away."

"So you went to him first?" Harry snapped suddenly. Lupin's head turned slightly, and Harry's friends seemed startled.

"No! I thought that it was obvious that I had been chosen to be secret keeper. I began thinking that perhaps, if we switched, Voldemort would come after me while the real secret keeper had the chance to go into hiding."

"And did you switch?" Remus asked.

"Yes." 

"What?" Hermione asked.

"We switched it around so that Peter Pettigrew was secret keeper. Who would have believed it? He was a weak, clingy person who wouldn't be able to stand up to Voldemort for a moment. Unfortunately, he was also the spy. He was able to hand Lily and James directly to his master."

"Why didn't you tell me that you switched?" Lupin's forehead was furrowed with concentration.

"Because…" Sirius's nerve failed and his voice trailed off. He steeled himself and started again. "Because we – I – I thought you were the spy."

Remus said nothing, but nodded his acknowledgement.

"What?" Harry protested. "You thought Remus was the spy? How could-"

"No, no, Harry, that part of the story, if it is the truth, makes sense now. But go on, Sirius." Lupin said.

"When I heard what the little rat had done, I was furious. One of my best friends had just been murdered. I went straight to their house and found Hagrid there, collecting the baby." Sirius nodded towards Harry. "He was picking up Harry to bring him to his aunt and uncles'. I argued with him for a bit, because James and Lily had appointed me the godfather. I was supposed to take him should anything like this happen. Hagrid told me to take it up with Dumbledore, so I gave him my bike and set out to find Peter." 

Sirius closed his eyes again, and licked his lips, trying to moisten them. He hadn't spoken so many words total in the last fourteen years. The room remained silent. He took another deep breath and began to speak again.

"It wasn't hard to find Peter. In fact, he sort of found me. He stepped out into the street, sobbing, and asked me how I could have done it, how I could have betrayed Lily and James. I went for my wand, intending to kill him right then and there. For the first time in his life, Peter got lucky and was faster with his wand then I was with mine – his was behind his back, after all. He blew up the street just as I raised my wand, and I guess he blew off his own finger, and that's what they found of him."

"And that's when the ministry officials arrived, and off you went to prison." Dumbledore filled in. "You remained in prison for fourteen years, until the death eaters arrived."

"Yes, Sirius, the death eaters arrived and just decided to set you free? Even though you weren't one of them?" Remus asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, they saw who I was, and then one of them told the others to go on about their business and said he would take care of it all, brought me to ground level, and told me to get away."

"Who was it?" Ron asked curiously.

"I don't know, he was masked. All I know is that the person was male."

"So a death eater decided that he couldn't kill an innocent person." Lupin asked skeptically.

"Yes. No! I don't know what made them save my life!" Sirius hastily tried to explain.

"Well, there always is veritaserum to settle this…but Mr. Black, from what I remember of Mr. Pettigrew, it doesn't seem very likely that he would be a spy for Voldemort. The boy was so very nervous…all of the risk of trouble with the ministry would surely frighten him." 

"Voldemort was the most powerful person right then, who better to protect him?" Sirius argued.

"How would Peter even find Voldemort?" Remus asked.

"There were plenty of people he could talk to with ease, telling them that he had information and such. Lucius Malfoy, for one."

"I can hardly see Wormtail even working up the courage to talk to Lucius Malfoy, let alone the Dark Lord himself!" Lupin's temper was rising.

"Wait!" Harry interrupted. "Did you just say Wormtail?"

"Yes, that was Peter's nickname when we were at school. You remember Harry, your father was Prongs."

"But you never told me about Peter being Wormtail!" Harry exclaimed.

"I guess I just didn't bring up the nickname…why, Harry?" 

"At the end of last year, when the portkey transported me to where Voldemort and the death eaters were-"

"A portkey did _what_?" Sirius broke in.

"The tournament that we had. I took the trophy and it was a portkey, set up by someone working for Voldemort – it's a long story really. Anyway, I got there and I saw Voldemort regaining strength and such, and one of his main people who he said helped him rise was rewarded – he called him Wormtail!"

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A/N: Yes, I got the chapter posted fairly quickly this time…after a number of mishaps with my computer. Evil thing. It's not much of a cliffhanger, but it was the best I could manage. I hope you come back anyway…Thank you to everyone who comes back for each new chapter – I love you I love you I love you!

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Lady Foxfire – *grins* you betcha!

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Tarawen – well of course the triwizard tournament happened without Sirius. Sirius didn't actually play that huge of a role in it…just advice and such. Unless I'm forgetting something. I'm not sure exactly what you mean about Remus…clarification? Please? (The part about the posse…) Anyway, your reviews make my head spin, but I like that. It's good for me. Keep reading!

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Wellduh – well of course it had to stop right there. I'm fond of cliffhangers. :o)

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Kaylin – hi. But do you know me that well? He just might get severely injured…maybe…not saying anything as of yet…bye.

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Nicky – hooray, you're still reading!! Hope this chapter didn't bore you…

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AngelOnFire – I'm glad you like it! Thanks for all the reviews on my stuff, by the way… I don't do an answer thing on the rest of my stories, so I might as well tell you that I worship the computer you read my stuff on…that's how much I enjoy reviews!

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ShadowSaber126 – I love your name! Very cool. I'm glad you love my ideas, and I hope I can continue the story to your liking…be happy, this is the fastest I've ever posted a new chapter. I think. :o)

Thanks again to all of my wonderful, beautiful, talented, amazing reviewers! I LOVE YOU! 


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I'm sorry it took me so long. I've had a strange couple of weeks, but I know where my story is going from here, for the most part. This chapter will be from Remus' point of view, but it will switch back at the very end of this chapter…

**__**

Once again, here the story continues, but from Remus' point of view…

Remus spun around to stare at Harry, forgetting in his shock that he shouldn't be taking his eyes off of Sirius Black. 

"Harry – what did you just say?"

"Wormtail! He helped Voldemort rise! I mean, maybe it wasn't the same one or something, but there was someone that Voldemort called Wormtail that he said helped him come back to power…"

Lupin then remembered Sirius and spun back around. He was sitting motionless, his face nearly void of expression again. Anger had entered his eyes when they were arguing, and slight disbelief and shock when Harry mentioned the portkey, but that was it. Sirius Black – the one that Moony had known – had always been one for expression. He was an entirely different person now. Remus needed time to think.

Dumbledore rose from his desk and approached Lupin. Remus realized that he was standing perfectly still with his wand pointed directly at Sirius. Harry and his friends were all watching him nervously, but Padfo-Sirius wasn't even looking in his direction. 

"Remus, we need to discuss this. You were seen by Minerva, I believe?"

"Yes." Lupin said tersely.

"Well, I'm sure that she would be willing to stand guard while the five of us discuss the next step." Professor Dumbledore then turned towards the three students.

"Would you three please go find Professor McGonagall and relay our request to her?"

"Yes sir." Hermione answered. They hurried from the office. 

"Remus, I would like to speak with Mr. Black. Would you mind waiting elsewhere? I'm sure that the famous trio can return with Minerva within a quarter of an hour…"

"I'll be back." Remus got to his feet and left the office as fast as he could go while walking. His office was on the same floor as the entryway to the headmaster's office, and it did not take him long to reach it. 

It was with a quiet sigh that he sank into his familiar chair. He often went to his office to think…and thinking was what he needed to do now. 

When he had entered the woods that evening, he had been prepared for the many things that were likely to roam the forest at night, and he had been planning the conversation with the centaurs. He had not been expecting to find Sirius Black. Not at all. 

The news had reached them that Azkaban had been broken open by Death Eaters, and it had occurred to the staff that they might try to attack Hogwarts, but no one had expected anything so soon. And it had seemed unfathomable that Sirius Black might be sent to the school. Alone. For the first several years after the death of the Potters, Lupin had gone into fiery rages when Black was mentioned. Then he had tried to put Sirius out of his mind. Eventually he had tried to come to terms with the fact that his once-best-friend was a spying murderer…it hadn't worked. The anger and the confusion had remained, but it had been pushed deep, and getting to know Harry had had mixed effects – one part of Remus had become more enraged, another part had been pacified. He had been attempting to come to terms with the confusion recently – and then Sirius had shown up. And he had claimed to be innocent. 

Remus smiled bitterly. If he had felt confused before…

The worst part was that even the anger was fizzling away, eaten by the situation. The emotions were all leaving, and now he just felt tired and slightly sick. He did _not_ want to deal with any of it. 

Something didn't seem right about Sirius's story. It was just too wild, too crazy to believe. The traitor had been Peter all along? He wasn't dead?

Then again, stranger things _had_ happened. 

So, if the story was true, Sirius had been the secret keeper, but he switched to Peter to throw Voldemort off of the scent. But Peter had been the spy, and had gone directly to Voldemort to hand the Potters over. Voldemort had attacked, killed Lily and James, but then was defeated by Harry. Sirius went after Peter, but Peter blew up the street and disappeared, and Sirius was hauled away. Then Peter had just shown up with Voldemort was gaining strength. 

That was it. 

The missing piece of the story: Where had Peter been all of those years? How did he get back to Voldemort?

Remus shook his head tiredly. He would have to ask Sirius that, see if Sirius knew. See if Sirius was telling the truth. Glancing at his clock, he realized that nearly fifteen minutes had gone by. Giving a tired sigh, Remus got to his feet and went back to Professor Dumbledore's office. 

Sirius had moved to a chair and was sitting quietly, eyes open, but not focused on anything in particular. Professor McGonagall was sitting equally silently on the couch, wand in hand. The headmaster and three students were nowhere to be seen. 

"Where did everybody go?" Remus asked, stifling a yawn. Minerva looked up sharply, then relaxed slightly. 

"I believe that they were heading for the dungeons."

"Why?" 

"That you will have to ask Professor Dumbledore."

"Right." 

Remus turned and left the room, then moved quickly and quietly through the empty corridors. 

He found the four people in an unused dungeon classroom, sitting around a table, waiting for him.

"Ah, professor Lupin. Sit." The headmaster indicated an empty chair to his left, speaking casually, as though Remus was simply the last to arrive at a routine staff meeting.

"Now," he continued, as soon as Remus was seated, "this evening has been a bit surprising for all of us, I must say."

"Yeah." Harry agreed.

"Wow." Ron added.

"Really surprising." Hermione finished. 

Remus just nodded, rubbing his hands through his hair and fighting the urge to put his head down on the table and fall asleep. 

"Remus, are you all right?" Harry asked, peering at him in a concerned fashion.

"I think that this evening has just hit Remus the hardest." Dumbledore said reassuringly. "Right now we need to face the issue at hand. We have a possible death eater upstairs, but it is sounding like he may be innocent. Azkaban is not a nice place, especially for the blameless."

"Sirius isn't blameless." Remus muttered, stifling another yawn.

"What?" Ron asked, sitting up.

"Oh, sorry, I just meant that he could never be called blameless. He just might not be to blame in this situation. If he's telling the truth, that is."

"Excuse me, sir…" Hermione said, directing her gaze to the headmaster, "But why can't we just use veritaserum?"

"An excellent question, Hermione. Veritaserum is very hard to take. The body often rejects it, which leads to vomiting, or sometimes it doesn't even work. Occasionally there is some reaction within the body that leads to unplanned events…they used it at a trial that I was present for several years ago, and the person passed out and remained unconscious for a week. The potion has to be used carefully, and shouldn't be used at all if possible."

"This is a strange time for a meeting on behavior in class, if you don't mind my saying so." Snape said from the doorway. 

"Good evening Professor Snape." Professor Dumbledore said politely. "What brings you here at this late hour?"

"The knowledge that there were people in my dungeon. I wished to find out who was down here at such a strange time."

"We are." Remus muttered.

"Good evening, Remus. You look tired."

"You look like crap too." Remus snapped before he could stop himself. "At least I can get some sleep and look better in the morning."

"Temper, temper…" Snape said, his voice sickeningly sweet. 

"Severus, come and sit down. We might as well ask your advice on this." 

"Expulsion." Professor Snape said immediately.

"I beg your pardon?" Dumbledore asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Whatever Potter has done this time, I say expel him."

"Actually, we are discussing Sirius Black."

"It's a bit late to be discussing his expulsion, though I do feel that that would have been a proper course of action when he was still a student here…" Snape said thoughtfully.

"He's here." Remus said shortly.

"What?"

"He showed up in the forest. We found him and brought him back, and now he's claiming that he wasn't sent here by Voldemort."

"Oh?" Severus asked.

"He's also claiming to be innocent."

"Innocent? As in – not a death eater?" Snape asked, eyebrows raising.

"Yes." 

"He is also saying that he was not the secret keeper for Lily and James when Voldemort attacked, but that Peter was."

The room was silent for a long moment.

"What?" Snape asked finally. "What do you want me to say?"

"Was he a death eater?" Remus asked, bracing for the answer. 

"I have no idea." Snape said.

"What?" Harry asked.

"Come on Potter, you don't possibly think that I know all of the death eaters. Even those in the inner circle don't know all those where were or are a part of the ranks. I can tell you something though." Snape paused and glanced around the table. "My aunt was friends with Black's mother, and I can assure you that she, Black's mother, was most definitely a dark witch. I wasn't the least bit surprised when Black was arrested, and I wouldn't be surprised now if it turned out that he was lying."

"I'll be right back." Hermione said, standing up. She left, heading towards the bathrooms. The remaining five sat staring at the table. 

Hermione suddenly came pounding back into the room, panting. "Professor Dumbledore – there's a man – bottom of the stairs coming down from the next floor – unconscious or dead…"

Her voice trailed off as Dumbledore left the room at an amazing speed, followed by the two teachers. Harry and Ron weren't far behind.

Remus stopped short at what he saw. It was a man, obviously from the ministry, lying crumpled. He had been hit hard by a curse spell, and it looked like it had been close range. Then the person had hit him hard enough to send him down the staircase. 

He charged up the staircase, wand in hand. The hall was empty, and it appeared untouched. Snape ran past him, heading for the main staircase. The two men raced towards Professor Dumbledore's office, but stopped in the doorway at what they saw. 

Professor McGonagall was lying on the floor, unconscious. The chair Sirius had been sitting in was overturned, and the Dark Mark was burned into the wooden surface of the headmaster's desk.

Professor Dumbledore stepped quietly past them and went to McGonagall, kneeling down to check her pulse. 

McGonagall groaned softly, then gasped. Her fist flung up into the air, connecting solidly with the headmaster's jaw. 

"Minerva, it's Albus. Wake up, please."

"Wha-Professor? Did I hit you?"

"Yes, but what happened here?"

"Oh! Oh…" McGonagall tried to sit up too fast and had to lie back down. "A death eater…dressed like ministry…just one, I think, came into the room…he was silent, I didn't hear the passage open…suddenly the door opened and there he was…he said something to Sirius…something like 'time to go' and then he stunned me…then I woke up here. Is Sirius gone?"

"Yes." Professor Dumbledore told her grimly. He then turned to look at the group huddled in the doorway.

"Well, it appears that Sirius's allies have come to retrieve him."

"Like I said before, I am not surprised." Snape commented bluntly. 

***

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Sirius' point of view:

Sirius struggled to open his eyes. He had never before in his life struggled to open his eyes. Where was he? Oh, Azkaban. Same stupid cell. That stupid rat would be back soon. Wait. He had escaped Azkaban. Suddenly it all came rushing back…the woods, Harry, Remus, McGonagall…the ministry official entering the room and taking out McGonagall before stunning Sirius…what the hell had just happened?

"Hello Black." Sirius looked up to see a masked death eater leering down at him. He couldn't see the face, but it was a leer nonetheless. 

"What?" He asked finally, not being able to think of anything better to say. His head still hurt.

"The dark lord wishes to speak with you. Can you stand?"

A/N: Once again, sorry it took me so long. Thank you to all of my wonderful reviewers, as usual, and to Kaylin who basically writes my stuff for me, despite what she may say. 

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Lady FoxFire – Glad you like :o) Yes, Harry found out about Sirius through Remus during his quiet third year. In JK Rowling's books, Sirius is the godfather, and he still is the legal godfather for Harry, but Harry sees Remus in that role now, seeing as how they all think that Sirius isn't worthy of the title…

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Prongsjr – thanks for reviewing, even if only to say 'cool story'. A good review is a good review, after all…

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Harriet – hey, that's the name of the character I am in our community theatre this year…hehe, sorry, that was irrelevant. I bet this wasn't as soon as you'd like, sorry. I'll try to do better :o)

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Tarawen - …you rock. Your reviews are awesome, and you are an amazing writer. Sadly for you, my head is too tired right now to process your review and reply. Please leave another amazing one because I like them when I'm not dead. 

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Nicky – yeah, I was feeling the missing emotions myself, soon after I posted. I'm trying to make up for that though, having a section from Remus' POV explaining how he's just too tired…also, they're all sort of in shock. You are right though, there should have been more…more. Just more.

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Maughgy – You rock too. All of my reviewers rock, but your enthusiasm seriously makes me write faster. No sarcasm there. Thank you so much.

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Shadow - Glad you like my name…it's a nic given to me by a friend's mom. Chapter 4 went up within a week, sadly most of my chapters take longer. Hope you come back anyway.

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Wellduh - hehhehheh, glad you thought it was a cliffy. I love doing that to people. Thanks for the review.

A/N: Thanks AGAIN to my reviewers…and I'm sorry if something in my replies didn't make sense…I'm REALLY tired, but I love you guys so much and I like writing replies so much that I had to do this before sending it off for proofreading…seriously, writing replies is the best part. Anyway, goodnight :o)


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I have the rest of the story planned out (for the most part) from here, thanks to Kaylin…it will be wrapped up by the end of June at the latest. Yes, the rating did go up, due to swearing. I can't write proper rage if I feel that I'm confined to polite language. Don't worry, there isn't a lot of it…yet…

~Katameran

Sirius stared voicelessly at the death eater, who glanced over his shoulder once as though nervous.

"Get up. My master wishes to speak with you. Now."

"What does he want with me?" Sirius asked, trying to keep the growing fear from his tone.

"It is for my lord to tell. We will go now."

"And if I refuse to move?" Sirius asked, knowing that he was being an idiot.

The death eater seemed to draw himself up. "If you refuse to move, things will only be worse for you before Lord Voldemort!"

"Avery, this man is our guest of honor. When you yell, you are not being polite." The voice came softly from the shadows behind the masked pawn. Sirius shuddered involuntarily and resisted the urge to curl up. 

"I am sorry, my lord, I-"

"Away with you, before I lose my patience." The voice did not rise, but the effect was still great. 

Avery gave a clumsy bow. "Yes, master." He quickly moved off into the shadows.

"Hello, Sirius." 

Sirius sat silently, shaking ever so slightly. The disembodied voice was worse then all of the dementors of Azkaban. 

"To think, I give Avery lessons on politeness, yet I am rude myself, by not coming forth from these shadows. Would you like me to step forward, Sirius?" The tone mocking, if only so slightly. Sirius gave no reply. 

"It seems I am not the only impolite one. Very well, the decision is mine." 

Lord Voldemort moved out of the shadows. Sirius felt himself break out in a cold sweat; new shudders ran down his spine. The appearance of the Dark Lord was more frightening then he could have imagined. The unnaturally white skin, the red eyes, the hands that were not quite human…it all gave new meaning to the word 'terror'. 

"Have you still nothing to say?" Voldemort inquired, his voice openly mocking now. "A pity, that. I was going to ask your opinion on several items."

"What do you want with me?" Sirius asked hoarsely, his voice low. 

"What do I want with you? Why, Sirius, I want to help you." 

"How could you possibly help me?" 

"Look at the life you once had among muggle-loving wizards. At the first sign that you might be working for me, it is all taken away from you. You were betrayed by your own kind, Sirius, as was I. My servants are my family now; they are forever loyal. They will not betray me."

"And?" Sirius asked through clenched teeth. 

"I am offering you the chance to be a part of all of that. Join our ranks, take your revenge."

"Who said I wanted revenge?" His mind raced. Why would Lord Voldemort want him to be a death eater?

"Don't you?" The voice was scornful. "It's obvious, Sirius. It shows in your eyes. You escape Azkaban with your life, and try to rejoin your old friends. They won't accept you though; they'll make you crawl first. Remus Lupin doesn't believe anything you say. He's told Harry Potter all about you. All about how you betrayed his parents. He never had proof, but he told those stories anyway. Now the wizarding world will not include you. By turning to us, you are brought into a powerful group. We grow stronger every day. By joining our ranks, you can make those who would betray you pay, just as I did."

Sirius closed his eyes briefly, trying to sort his thoughts. 

"Why do you want me? It is known that I am not a death eater. You don't want me to join just because you want me to take revenge. What is it?"

"You were named legal godfather of Harry Potter, were you not?"

"Remus is his godfather."

"But not by law." Voldemort hissed. "Let's say you surface yet again in the wizarding world – but this time you have Peter Pettigrew with you. You can prove your innocence, and collect your godson. Once you have him, you bring him to me. It is simple."

"Yeah, it's simple." Sirius said slowly. Then the enormity of what the dark lord was saying hit him.

"Well, Sirius? Are you prepared to join us?"

"Am I prepared to join you?" Sirius asked, slowly rising to look directly into Lord Voldemort's face.

"You will be on the winning side. What is there to be gained by backing Albus Dumbledore forever?"

"Honor." Sirius spat. "Decency. Equality."

"Am I to accept this as your answer?" Voldemort's voice seemed to grow colder. 

"No." Sirius said fiercely, rage fueling his courage. "Here's my answer: Go to hell. I'll die before I'll betray my friends, no matter what they believe. Fuck you." 

The stillness that draped over them was agonizing. Lord Voldemort stood silently, motionlessly, just watching Sirius. 

Sirius tried to meet the Dark Lord's eyes, but began to shake. Finally, unable to take it anymore, he dropped his eyes. 

The tension immediately broke as Voldemort laughed; a quiet, ruthless laugh. "Now, Black, that's better."

Sirius kept his head down, not daring to even mumble the words bursting to escape his mouth.

"I will return later to repeat my offer. Should you choose, once again, not to accept, the consequences will be more painful. Consider what you have; consider what I could give you."

Sirius stood, unmoving, until Voldemort was out of sight. Then he dropped to a sitting position on the floor, pulling his knees up to his chest. The shaking grew worse. The dark lord himself was asking Sirius to betray everything he wanted to stand for – had tried to stand for. Like that would ever happen. 

__

But it did happen…a small voice spoke inside his head. 

'No, it didn't happen. I never went bad. Ever.' Sirius argued silently, shutting his eyes tightly. 

__

But you almost did. And the whole world thinks that you're capable of it…why try to please them anymore? Look where that got you. Azkaban. _And now here._

'Yes, here, Another Azkaban. Right now I am one of the only people in the world to know my innocence…Voldemort being another one. If I join him, it will all be true.' _Your mother would have wished it._

'I'm not doing ANYTHING for her!' Sirius screamed silently in response. 'She was dark and look where it got our family! There's no good in any of it.' 

__

Unless the dark side wins. 

'If the dark side wins, I'll be rewarded by Voldemort. But hated by everyone that he enslaves or murders – including people who were once my friends. And…I would have to be responsible for the death of James' son. I can't do that. I CAN'T.' 

__

You're starting to sound like you want to join, except for you can't kill the boy. 

'No, it's not like that! Go away! Leave me alone!'

__

I can't go away, Sirius, I'm the side of you that wants to join Voldemort. 

'Then you are not a part of me.'

__

But I am. And you know it. You're afraid of me, afraid that I will convince your weaker side to give in. 

'I am not afraid of you. I hate you. I'm not listening to you anymore.' With that, Sirius began focusing energy on ignoring the voice and deciding on a course of action. 

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Back at Hogwarts…

"Well," Professor Dumbledore said finally, looking around the office at each of them, "I don't really think that we should even be worrying."

"What? Why?" Ron asked. 

"Well, Sirius Black showed up at the castle and tried to convince us of his innocence. Then his death eater friends came to reclaim him. The only thing that I am concerned about is that they got in with the ministry. Fudge needs to be more alert, as do all of those who work for him. But as for the events of this evening…there is nothing we can do. They won't be back tonight, at least."

"There is one thing that I'm wondering about." Snape said unexpectedly from the other end of the table. "Why did they simply stun Minerva? That isn't death eater style. They killed the man from the ministry; they wouldn't have any qualms about killing a Hogwarts professor who is a known supporter of Albus. Especially if she is standing between them and one of their own."

A long silence followed. Once again, it was the headmaster that spoke first. "It certainly gives us something to think about."

"Maybe they were trying to kill the Professor, but messed up?" Hermione formed her opinion as a question.

"No." Snape answered shortly. "If they wanted to kill her, they would have."

"Here's something else to wonder about…" Harry said quietly. "Why did Sirius' story match what happened last year? The whole Wormtail thing…that doesn't make any sense."

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Voldemort's lair…

Sirius paced around his cell, his mind and body tense with apprehension. When would Voldemort return? 

The wait wasn't drawn out much longer. Voldemort appeared silently before the cell. Sirius turned, saw him, and gave a startled jump, cursing himself immediately. Voldemort made no comment, just stood silently. 

"What?" Sirius snapped, the tension making him fearful. 

"Have you made your decision?" Voldemort asked.

"Y-yes." 

"And what will that be?"

"I will not betray my friends." Sirius responded firmly. 

Voldemort seemed to smirk before him. "What friends? Name a friend."

Sirius raised his chin. "Remus Lupin."

Voldemort laughed icily. When he spoke again, his voice dripped with pity. "You are indeed misled…you can consider him a friend? Don't you remember what we discussed earlier?"

"Shut up." Sirius said quietly.

"He doesn't give a _damn_ whether you live or die. You are prepared to die for this person? He will live out the rest of his life thinking that you were against him the entire time."

"No, he won't." Sirius responded.

"Oh?" Voldemort's sneer widened. 

"No. I know the way you work. You'll meet up with him and you will tell him that I was innocent and I died because I wouldn't betray him, just so you can weaken his resolve and slam him with a guilt complex."

"Ah, your brain is fit for the workings of evil."

"No, it's not. It's not sick and twisted like yours. I will not join you." Sirius met Voldemort's gaze steadily. This time it was the dark lord who broke the eye contact, but he did it deliberately, his gaze now focusing on the wand in his hand.

"I think that you might reconsider shortly." He raised his wand. "_Crucio!_"

A/N: Well, there was chapter 6. Thanks to everyone who continues to review. 

And now, as usual, are my thanks for last chapter's reviews…

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Phoenix-flames – well, here's more! :o)

Tarawen - You are so cool. But anyway, about the review…yes. You were right, hehe. That's just what I have to say. Snape…I was writing, and he had something important to say, and I just didn't feel like making him be an asshole. After all, as you said, he and Remus have been working together for a few years now. There is still tension, as we saw in chapter 5, however...and you were also right about the crucios. I actually just wrote that part, and it was fun…describing pain is just enjoyable, in a very twisted sort of way…

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Nicky – Oh, they'll find out eventually. Probably. And yes, there will be a meeting between Sirius and Pettigrew. 

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Wellduh – ok, ok, here's more…unfortunately, there's another cliffy. They're just so amusing, you know? Hey, it keeps you coming back, right?

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Electus – muahahaha, everyone has a dark side. Although you were right, Sirius never was a death eater. As far as we know. I personally feel that he probably was mixed up in dark arts in his past, for reasons that I won't go into right here right now…if anyone is interested, IM me or email me. It's fun to discuss. 

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Kaylin – you'd better love it, you practically write the damn thing for me!

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Shadow – glad you liked the chapter…was this fast enough? New posts should be pretty quick from now on, I'm hoping…no longer then a week. Shoot, now that I've said that something is BOUND to happen. Goddamnit, I hate those jinxes…


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I'm sorry that this chapter took so long…not only have I been extremely busy (I haven't spoken to my mother or slept in a few days) but it took me a while to get this chapter to where I wanted it. It's still not quite right, but I can't take any more time. I'm too picky anyways! Well, thanks for being patient!

~Katameran

Sirius heard the word, but couldn't move in time. The spell hit him and he flattened against the wall as the pain seared through him. The curse was almost immediately lifted and he gasped for air. 

"That wasn't any fun, was it?" Voldemort asked silkily. "This is what I do to people who don't wish to see my side of things. _Crucio!_"

The spell seemed to hit with more force the second time and Sirius felt his very skin catch on fire, sparked by the red heat in his bones. He heard himself scream, surely he would pass out soon – he was not to be granted that luxury. Voldemort lifted the curse and Sirius slumped to the floor, gasping, tears of pain welling in his eyes. 

"Well Black, have you reconsidered?" Voldemort asked mockingly.

Sirius whispered something between his clenched teeth, his arms wrapped around himself, knees pulled up to his chest. 

"What was that?" Voldemort asked again.

"Bastard." Sirius hissed louder. 

"Now where do you think that attitude will get you?" Voldemort taunted, lifting his wand again. 

The third blast of pain slammed into Sirius with a magnitude that made the previous two curses incredibly desirable. His skin was being torn from the bones, the muscles were disintegrating, the hairs on his head were being ripped out one by one – he plunged into darkness, the agony falling behind, but suddenly it was lifted and a sharp kick in the side brought him back to full consciousness with a painful jolt. 

"Maybe that changed your mind. You certainly screamed as though you never wanted to feel that sort of thing again. Do you have an answer now?"

Sirius opened his mouth to speak, but found that only a wheezing noise could be produced for the moment. The tears streamed down his face and he fought for air. Slowly, the excruciating aftermath faded, leaving a strangely painful numbness behind. Sirius uncurled himself and opened his mouth to speak, then faltered on the words.

"Don't make me do that again. I have other methods of inducing pain. This was merely a warm-up." Voldemort said cruelly. 

Sirius tried to speak again, but choked on the words, fresh tears escaping his eyes. The dark lord's foot connected harshly with his side. 

"Do not keep me waiting for your answer."

Sirius gulped air, trying to get under control. 

"I will not join you!" 

"Oh? And why is that?" Voldemort asked, hitting Sirius with the unforgivable before he could answer. 

The pain was indescribable. Sirius screamed until he could scream no longer, felt himself spiraling into blessed oblivion, and then was cruelly jerked back into the word of conscious pain once more. 

"Well? Why won't you help me, Sirius? You're not _still_ hanging onto the idea that you can help those worthless creatures that you call friends, do you?"

"I won't have you controlling me!" Sirius whispered.

Voldemort's terrifying face broke into a smug leer. 

__

"Sirius, there is so much that you do not understand…you see, I have controlled you. When Lucius visited the prison, he was there for two reasons. One was to plan the attack. The other was to speak with you and decide whether or not you were sane. He reported back to me that you were indeed coherent, but your attitude was questionable. I then instructed him to release you into the world on the night that we broke Azkaban open, knowing that you would go to Hogwarts to gain allies. It was only a matter of sending my insiders in the ministry to reclaim you, and instructing them to leave your guard alive. By doing that, your guard was able to tell Professor Dumbledore that death eaters came to get you. Now your trust with them is broken. Don't you see?" Voldemort lowered his voice to a whisper.

"I _do_ control you." 

"No, you don't." Sirius whispered back, concentrating on deep breaths. The growing anger and desperation that he felt ended his tears. 

"I don't have to control your fate, but I can help you decide it. Either you agree to help me, or I torture you to the brink of death time and time again until you are driven out of your mind, and therefore useless as a servant to me. Think about it…if you agree to follow me, you can get revenge on the wizarding world that has betrayed you. It is not turning your back on your friends, but merely accepting that they have turned their back on you."

"I…" Sirius felt the tears pressing at the back of his eyes again, induced by the choice he was about to make. 

Voldemort raised his wand again.

"I'll join you." Sirius spat harshly, not raising his head.

"Excellent." Voldemort's cruel voice said silkily, just before uttering the awful curse once more. 

Sirius felt the pain burn through him again and it wasn't long before he mercifully blacked out. 

****

Meanwhile, back at Hogwarts…

Remus accompanied Harry, Ron, and Hermione as far as his office. There he bid them goodnight and watched them walk down the hallway toward the Gryffindor tower. He then sat down at his desk, head in hands, wondering what to do now. There were still pieces of the puzzle unanswered, his good friend was definitely a traitor, and he had to wake up in a few hours and teach students while acting as though the world were a logical place. 

So why _had_ the two stories checked out? Maybe…maybe Sirius had gone to blow up Peter, had thought that he had succeeded in destroying him, but Peter had just been badly injured. Voldemort had sought him out, knowing that he would make a good spy…no, Voldemort was dead by then, and his death eaters were running too fast to stop and recruit. Maybe it wasn't the same Wormtail. Maybe this was entirely unrelated. Who knew?

Sirius Black's mother had been a dark witch. Remus had known of problems at home, but his knowledge had been very vague – the way Sirius wanted it. Remus wondered if James had known. 

He wondered what Sirius was doing at this very moment. What had his orders been in the first place? He certainly hadn't accomplished much…Remus hoped that his plan had been to murder Harry and having failed miserably, was being punished. His heart sank. He was tired, and his thoughts were becoming stranger and stranger. He really didn't give a damn as to what Sirius was doing. Remus got up and stumbled towards his bed. 

****

In the darkness of the cell…

Sirius lay awake, still curled up, trying to sleep. He would need it, and it would help calm him down. Unfortunately, the darkness was too black and the silence was too quiet. His ears were straining for a noise – any noise. How long had it been? He had been passed out for an unknown amount of time, but when he awoke the torches had gone out. Sirius dreaded hearing the Dark Lord's plan, but at the same time he found that he was curious…curious to see what Voldemort had come up with, and curious to see if there was a way around it. He had agreed to join the ranks of evil in what he considered a moment of weakness, but he saw now that it might do more good then bad. If he could figure out a way to mess up the plan, he could get out alive and earn back the trust of those on the other side…and then he could help to protect Harry. 

Voldemort had spoken of Pettigrew, had said something about resurfacing in the world with Pettigrew so that he could claim his innocence. It was all complicated. Pettigrew would be here…he nearby. The very thought made Sirius sit up, anger renewed. Voldemort had been correct in saying that Sirius wanted revenge…but he had been wrong when guessing. Sure, he was bitter about his lack of trial, but all evidence _had_ been pointed in his direction. Peter was the one who had pointed it that way. And he was going to get what was coming to him. 

A quiet shuffling of feet sounded loud in the stillness – someone was coming. Sirius sat up in the darkness and waited. A masked being rounded the corner, a lighted wand held before it. 

"Voldemort wishes to speak with you now."

The cell was unlocked, and Sirius stepped out, realizing that his cell was the only place he had seen of this hideaway. There were no windows; he realized that the only light in the ghastly lair came from torches. The walls weren't smooth stone, as he had earlier thought, but hard packed dirt and rock. They were definitely underground. Ahead of them, there was a narrow flight of steps spiraling downwards. The death eater stepped back, motioning Sirius ahead. Sirius moved down seemingly endless steps, until suddenly he was in a large chamber. Voldemort stood at the far end, facing him. There were about fifteen death eaters behind him in a half circle. 

"Good evening, Sirius. I trust that your previous decision remains, even though you are no longer in great pain?"

"Yes." Sirius said resolutely. 

"And why have you joined me, Sirius?" 

"Because…because the people that I was hanging on to have turned their backs on me. I can have real family here." Sirius repeated what he had heard earlier rather numbly, but hoped that it sounded sincere. 

"Yes, you can. They will all be your family." Voldemort motioned gracefully to the half circle. 

"When will I be initiated?" Sirius asked, still not quite sure that he believed what was going on.

"So impatient!" Voldemort smiled a pleased smile. "Not yet. Before any death eater is initiated, they pass a test proving their worth. The success and impact of what they do determines where on the ranking ladder they will join. If you complete the task, you will be admitted with highest honors."

"And what will this task be?" Sirius asked, dreading, but needing to know. 

"You will bring me Harry Potter."

"_What_?" Sirius squawked, not sure of what he had just heard. "How am I supposed to do _that_?"

"Relax. You are actually going to have an easier job of this task then other death eaters. You see, the end result is very important to me, so I have created a plan for you."

"Why are you so sure that I can do this?"

"Sirius, don't you know why I sent Lucius Malfoy to check on your condition when you were still in Azkaban?"

"Yes…"

"You have an amazing amount of advantages. With my plan, you can break back into the wizarding world easily, and then be on top, close to Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore once again. If all goes well, they will not even know that you were the one responsible for the death of their precious boy hero."

"If all goes well…if all goes _well_?" Sirius screeched, nearly losing all control. "How will this ever _work_?"

__

"Sirius, it hurts that you show no faith in me. All will end well. Now here is my plan."

And here ends chapter 7. I hope that it was up to standard. My pre-reader isn't around, and I REALLY need to post this, so here goes…as soon as I write my thanks, of course. Not as many reviews on this chapter, but there were some, and so I'm grateful :o)

~Katameran

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Isabelle – glad you like it! Yeah, no one likes him very much right now, but we always will!

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Nicky - once again, sorry this chapter took so long…oops, too late, he joined Voldemort…sorry…hey, maybe it will work out, right?

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Shadow – here's more! Glad you liked that chapter; it's been one of my favorites so far.

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Anna-mathe – heehee, it made my day too :o) Thanks for reviewing.

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Wellduh – another person who says 'don't make Sirius give in!' well, too late for that. But, like I told Nicky, maybe things will be all right in the end! This one wasn't so much of a cliffie either, but I'm planning one that will _really_ piss you off…

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Tarawen – God damnit, you give me so many ideas, and then I'm like 'no! I can't! I know what I want to do! She needs surprises anyway!' but you are really perceptive, and I love your reviews…even if they make me question my whole storyline…thanks a million. And I'm glad I made you cry, hehe. That was a booster for my confidence where this story is concerned…

Well, that's it. Thanks again to everyone, hope to see new reviews! 

~Katameran


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Yes, I have been gone for quite some time. I apologize sincerely for the pause on the story, but Europe was so cool…anyway, I think I have some of my inspiration back now and I should be able to write the end of the story fairly quickly…thanks to everyone for putting up with me. Enjoy!

~Katameran

Hermione paced across the floor of the common room, Harry and Ron watching her. Finally she turned towards them.

"It doesn't make any sense."

"What doesn't?" Ron asked tiredly.

"This evening! Sirius Black didn't just show up to get taken away again, did he?"

"What are you talking about?" Ron asked irritably. 

"If he's working for Voldemort, then what was his plan? And why did your stories check out? It doesn't make any sense."

"Maybe he was just supposed to be watching the castle when we found him." Harry suggested. 

"Well then why did those people come and get him? He had no way to send up a distress signal!" Hermione argued.

"Well, maybe…oh, I don't know! I can't think! Can we please go to sleep?" Harry asked snappishly, rubbing at his eyes.

"Fine, it's probably a good idea. I can't think either."

"Thank you!" Ron jumped to his feet and ran towards the common room. 

"Good night." Harry told Hermione.

"It just doesn't make sense…" she muttered, staring fixedly at the fire. 

****

***

Remus groaned and rubbed his face. He had dozed off in the chair and had woken up with a sore neck and a bad taste in his mouth. The sky was just starting to turn gray on the horizon. Morning wasn't far away. He would be glad of the end this horrible night. He happily realized that there was a completed lesson plan on his desk – he had had a spare hour the previous day. Now he didn't have to plan anything and could go back to sleep for another hour. 

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***

Sirius squinted as the daylight hit his eyes. The sun had risen less then an hour before, and the new day was bright and cheerful – not anything like his mood. He was flanked by a man who appeared to be around his own age and who had not spoken, and another death eater whose face Sirius had yet to see. The worst member of the group was directly in front of him, moving nervously though the area was deserted. Pettigrew. Instincts had pointed their harsh fingers towards murder when Peter had first stepped out from behind his master, but Sirius had managed to refrain from any sort of violence. 

Lord Voldemort's instructions had been, for the most part, clear. The masked death eater served as a sort of guard, someone to watch over the two initiates. Sirius knew his task. He was to bring Harry Potter to the dark lord as soon as he had regained enough trust to be left alone with the boy. The other newcomer had a different assignment, though the end result was much the same: He was to kill Remus Lupin. Sirius suspected that the other man's duty had been assigned mostly as another test for Sirius. A test of old loyalty. Sirius hadn't been feeling a great deal of loyalty as of late, so it had been surprisingly easy to keep a steady expression when this was announced. He would _not_ allow either Remus or Harry to die, he was sure of that. 

The group marched silently across the hard packed earth.

***

Harry and Ron managed to keep up a steady stream of chatter with the others at the Gryffindor table as they scrambled to eat their fill of breakfast before class. Hermione was studying her Herbology text and became extremely snappish whenever anyone tried to get her attention. 

"She's not still on about the 'missing piece', is she?" Ron asked Harry in a tone low enough to be covered by the noises of the meal.

"I don't know. It really is sort of odd when you think about it…"

"Harry! He's gone, there's nothing we can do until he comes back for you with his death eater friends."

"Thanks loads, Ron. Really."

"Sorry."

There was a pause.

"It's ok. I know what you mean."

"No, I really am sorry."

"Drop it."

"But-"

"I'm not bloody kidding Ron, forget it!" Harry's voice sounded slightly strained and there was a note of something not quite panic mixed in.

***

Looking around the head table, Remus noted that Severus was gone. Where he had managed to escape to so quickly from last night, he didn't know.

Wait. Of course he knew.

Remus nearly pitied Severus for the job he had to do – teaching in the confusing time was bad enough, but having to leave for Voldemort's side in the middle of the night…Severus had made a wrong choice years before. He did his job now because he was responsible. As it should be.

The headmaster sat at his place, conversing pleasantly with professor Sprout as though none of the previous night's events had occurred. Remus wondered how he did it.

Minerva was not to be seen, still in the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey had been taken into their confidences and told the entire story. The woman really didn't hear the truth enough as it was.

***

Draco Malfoy listened idly as the headmaster rose and asked for quiet, then made an announcement regarding the transfiguration classes. Apparently Professor McGonagall had been taken ill and Professor Dumbledore would take over her class for a day or two.

Then the headmaster turned his attention to the Potions class. All morning classes were canceled, as Professor Snape had had to leave for an outside emergency in the middle of the night. He would hopefully return by afternoon. 

The professor seemed to have many such emergencies or reasons to leave – well, not many, but certainly more this year than ever before. Draco wondered if he was a death eater and if the headmaster knew. Dumbledore didn't seem the type to be fooled, but you never knew…Draco's father swore up and down that the man was a crackpot and not fit to be running a school. 

Malfoy's bored eyes scanned the Great Hall, searching for something to dwell on. The Gryffindor table was as chatty as ever; with Granger reading her stupid Herbology book. Draco frowned as he noted the same illustration that he had seen several minutes before – was she still on that page? 

***

Sirius Black's mind wandered as they continued to stride through what were basically wastelands. He wondered where they were. He wondered who the masked death eater was. He wondered who the other initiate was. He wondered what had brought the other man here. He wondered how he was going to work his way out of this. He wondered if Peter felt any remorse for the crimes that he had committed. 

"So Black, you finally accept your destiny?" The voice behind the mask hinted of mockery, but it was also familiar.

"Who are you?"

"Answer the question. The last time we met, you and that Potter friend of yours were full of humanity and a sense of 'righteousness'."

"What does that have to do with my destiny?" Sirius asked, jaw clenching.

"Your mother, of course. She tried to steer you on the path to greatness, but you wouldn't accept it. I assume that you realize the error of your ways now?"

"Yes, I do. I was young and foolish, caught up in the dreams of James Potter, and I wasn't willing to listen to my mother. Would've saved me a bunch of trouble if I just had. So who are you?" Sirius tried to keep his tone light, as though these thoughts were nothing new. Well. They weren't new, but he had never thought them from this side or in this light before. And he had never tried to sound as though he meant it. 

"Hello, Sirius." Severus Snape pulled the hood from his head in a practiced motion. 

***

As usual, many thanks to my reviewers. Without you, my story would be nothing.

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Nicky – hey, what's up? Hope you're still around…I agree that joining Voldemort is not the best way to prove Sirius' innocence. But hey, anything's possible, right?

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Heath – muchos gracias. 

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Wellduh – your reaction warms me. No, seriously, I was amused at your review.

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Tarawyn – May I tell you again how cool you are? No? Too bad, you're awesome. Yes, Sirius is in deep shit, to sum up your review and agree with you. I'm anxious to hear what you have to say on my new chapter…oh, and thanks for spending 4 hours trying to get to chapter 7. Much appreciated.

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Urania – muahaha, but who knows what the ending shall be? I'm trying to prove, through the thoughts of Sirius along with my fic 'Evil' that we all have darkness in us. But maybe the ending will be good. Maybe. *Blushes* Glad to have another fan, they are always nice to have around.

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Fire spirit – Ah, but don't we always wonder what the Malfoy family is up to? I personally feel that if they actually existed, they are the type of people that you never ever ever turn your back on because then it just sucks for you…hehehe, you'd better believe it.


	9. Chapter 9

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A/N: Look, it's another chapter. I probably have entirely new readers now, as it has been the better part of a year since I last wrote. I don't know. Things changed. I fell in love, started going to running start, got involved in community theater…but I'd been thinking about this story lately and wanting to FINISH IT. Now I'm getting closer. Thanks to everyone who's sticking with me.

~Katameran

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Broken Trust – chapter 9

Sirius felt his mouth drop open. Moments before he had felt that nothing could surprise him, but to see Severus Snape standing before him as his death eater guard had done it. Much later, he would wonder why it had surprised him. He had always suspected Snape of working for Voldemort. Then again, Albus Dumbledore seemed to trust him. 

"You have nothing to say, for once?" Snape asked with a mocking sneer. "I'm impressed." 

"I'd break your jaw, but then I think I'd fail my test."

"That depends entirely."

"You _want_ me to break your jaw?"

"I presume you two know each other?" 

Sirius jumped. He had forgotten all about the other initiate. He had also forgotten about Pettigrew. A quick glance reassured him that Peter was still there. The man was too paranoid to even _try_ run away. 

"Ah, Felix." Severus said. "I'd forgotten that the two of you had yet to be introduced. Felix, this is Sirius. Sirius, this is Felix. Sirius and I went to Hogwarts together, many years ago of course. As you won't be able to recognize Remus Lupin, Sirius shall point him out to you."

Sirius gritted his teeth to keep the blood from either draining from his head or rushing to his face. He would probably die at Hogwarts now, thanks to this situation. He was to bring Harry to Voldemort after regaining Remus' trust. Then Felix was to kill Remus. Snape would be watching. There would be no way out. 

Better to die at Hogwarts near those he had loved, and with his happy memories, than alone in a cell of the most evil man in the world.

***

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Remus paced in front of the headmaster's desk. 

"Do you think they'll be back soon?"

"It is hard to say. Severus should have returned with news by now, but there has been no word. This could mean a number of things, of course, but I am still slightly worried."

"Is there any way they could get in here?"

"I'm afraid, Remus, that I cannot begin to fathom the plans in the head of the Dark Lord. We shall have to wait and see."

Dumbledore smiled as he looked towards the window. "It looks to be a beautiful sunset."

"Sunset brings darkness, professor." Remus said soberly.

***

Harry and Hermione walked the halls of Hogwarts together, heading to their common room. Ron had left dinner early with a stomachache. Hermione had wanted to borrow a reference book from Professor Lupin, but they had been unable to find him. She had finally allowed that it could wait until class the next day. 

By now the hallways were mostly empty. So far they had only seen a trio of Ravenclaws on their way to their own common room. The hallways were also unusually dark for after dinner. Maybe it was just Harry's imagination, but he had the distinct feeling that something was following them quietly through the dimmed corridors.

He glanced at Hermione, who was still quiet. Probably still trying to sort things out in her head. She didn't seem to be at all concerned with the surroundings. He mentally smacked himself for being a coward.

***

Remus stood in the window of his office, watching as the sun slipped away over the horizon. The light turned from pink to a deep blue and a few stars appeared. He would not sleep tonight. Already he could feel danger in the air. 

A glance at his desk showed essays to be graded and a test to be drawn up, but he doubted he could concentrate tonight. 

"You might as well try." He said aloud, making himself jump. "You are, after all, a teacher. These kids need their education if they're going to survive this world. You, a werewolf, are a defense against the dark arts teacher and that might be the most important thing to them now." 

He sat down in his comfortable chair and picked up his lesson plan book.

***

"Harry?" Hermione said quietly?

"Yes?" He responded, equally hushed. 

"Do you-˝ she paused, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Do you feel like there's something following us?"

***

It was no use. The lesson plan book dropped to the desk. The best thing he could do for his students right now would to be to make a round of the castle – assure himself that everything was, in fact, secure. Perhaps after he convinced himself of the safety of everyone, he could really do some work. Remus pushed his chair back, stretched, and then walked towards the door. 

He had secretly thought that once he was in the familiar hallways, he would feel better. This was not the case. As soon as he turned the first corner, he could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and he reached for his wand with a shiver.

Remus had had a difficult life, considering what he was. In the years after he was first bitten, he had learned first to sense danger in others. If there was someone who would threaten him, he had learned to judge that person before the deed could happen. He wasn't sure when exactly it had happened, but he had begun to almost be able to _smell_ danger when it was near, as though it was carried on the air. He definitely smelled it now.

***

"C'mon." Harry said grimly, hand on his wand. "We have to keep going."

"What do you think it is?" Hermione asked. "_Who_ do you think it is?"

"I don't know."

"Do you think it's…?" Her voice trailed off.

"I don't know." Harry said, more sharply this time.

A sudden noise and then a shouted curse came from behind them. Hermione screamed and Harry whirled around, tripping over his feet and her feet and falling into the wall. The curse set off simple sparks that shot harmlessly past them. The sound of laughter could be heard.

"SHIT!" Harry snapped. "What the HELL do you think you're DOING?"

"It's Malfoy." Hermione snarled. Her wand was out and she marched purposefully back down the corridor. "So, do you think this is funny? There are KILLERS out there right now and you're sneaking around Hogwarts late at night SCARING PEOPLE? Then you're too cowardly to show your face! Come ON Draco, get out here and face me like a man. If your father were here he'd be ashamed of you for backing down to a goddamned MUDBLOOD!" 

Her face had gone pale with rage. 

Harry felt a sudden clench of fear in his stomach. Suppose it wasn't Malfoy after all? Suppose it was a trick? Hermione disappeared around the corner, still yelling. He froze for a second, and then ran after her. She stood in the middle of the empty corridor.

"Gone. The bloody cowards. They deserve far worse then they ever get."

"Hermione, can we please just go back to the common rooms now?" 

"Fine."

***

Remus walked quietly, ears alert. His senses screamed at him, his muscles were tense and ready to react to something – anything. 

This was ridiculous. He had no reason to feel this way. The halls were empty, as they should be at this hour, with no sign of trouble.

But somehow, it was too quiet. Just too quiet. He suddenly felt the urge to turn back to his office, although he was unsure of what he was supposed to find there. He was completely unprepared for the sight of Sirius, Peter Pettigrew, a stranger, and a masked death eater. 

He and Sirius raised their wands at the same time. Remus was slightly faster on the curse and Sirius slumped to the floor, unconscious. The stranger went for his wand, but the masked death eater shouted a curse, knowing the man out as well. The same curse hit Pettigrew. Severus Snape pulled off his mask.

"Nice reflexes, Remus."

"You as well, Severus, although maybe next time you could offer some warning? Preferably before I reach my office?"

"No time."

"Ah. Now what?"

***

Sirius woke up as a boot connected with his side, and then wondered wildly how he had managed to get back to Voldemort's lair. Then, with a sinking feeling, he realized that he was in a ministry cell – and the boot belonged to Remus. It was strange, having Remus kick him like that. Remus didn't turn violent when angry.

He turned violent when particularly disgusted. 

Shit. 

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A/N: Thanks for reading. I'm going to continue my tradition of thanking previous reviewers, even though I know that most of you probably aren't still reading. 

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Heath: Well, now I bet you REALLY think I fell off of the earth! I'm back…glad it's interesting!

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Hermione*PotterGurl: Well…right here, of course!!

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K B: It's ok…Evil Sirius intrigues me also. I don't like Harry very much either. Maybe in another story I can…no, wait, I don't want to give anything away!!! Thanks for reviewing!

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Tarawyn: I'm sorry Remus is too controlled – seems like he's been that way all story. I just wrote him as I saw Remus…the control is there, but there's plenty of emotion with it. This chapter that I just wrote was definitely not my best one, but it was a rather desperate link to the end which will be a lot better if I can pull it off. Think about much emotion with little control…

You still rock!

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Fire Spirit: The Malfoy family is twisted, although I'd like to work with them more. Probably because they're so twisted. Thanks for the review.

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Wellduh: I don't know if even you are THIS patient. I hope you haven't completely lost interest in my story though, I promise – I'm still here!!

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AllAboutMe: Yeah, I know my chapters are rare. I'd rather do good work then dash them off, know what I mean? I'm a slow writer, guess if I wrote more quickly I'd have more readers. Oh well. I love all of you. Thanks for the compliments!

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Kaylin: shh…

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Abby: Thanks! Here's more.


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